Syon Capital LLC Makes New Investment in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Syon Capital LLC purchased a new stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 3,037 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $566,000.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Hershey by 7.8% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,126 shares of the company’s stock valued at $225,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Hershey by 3,285.7% during the 3rd quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 474 shares of the company’s stock worth $95,000 after buying an additional 460 shares during the period. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Hershey by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,767 shares of the company’s stock valued at $354,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 50.2% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 26,192 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,240,000 after buying an additional 8,758 shares during the period. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its position in shares of Hershey by 25.1% during the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 88,008 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,609,000 after acquiring an additional 17,631 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.54, for a total transaction of $89,938.62. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $369,681.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.90, for a total value of $296,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 40,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,961,121.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.54, for a total value of $89,938.62. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,862 shares in the company, valued at $369,681.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,453 shares of company stock worth $665,534. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on HSY shares. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $213.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Edward Jones reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on Hershey from $200.00 to $179.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $223.33.

Hershey Stock Down 0.5 %

Hershey stock opened at $186.23 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.34. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $191.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $190.64. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $178.82 and a 1-year high of $276.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.72 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 16.67% and a return on equity of 51.79%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.02 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This is a boost from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.94%. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 60.55%.

Hershey Profile

The Hershey Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of confectionery products and pantry items in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: North America Confectionery, North America Salty Snacks, and International. It offers chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery products; gum and mint refreshment products, including mints, chewing gums, and bubble gums; protein bars; pantry items, such as baking ingredients, toppings, beverages, and sundae syrups; and snack items comprising spreads, bars, snack bites, mixes, popcorn, and pretzels.